A conversation with Parijat Moumon Trio on an evening of Jazz

There is something peaceful about enjoying an evening of sombre music at a rather dim but aesthetically lit venue; that too on a night when the rain clouds are teasing you with a light drizzle of the season's first rain. I went in an hour early, and was just pacing across the patio beside the 'koi pond' at Banani's Satori Meditations when I came across the Parijat Moumon trio discussing the show's setlist over some snacks.

I thought I'd exchange pleasantries, but what actually followed was an enlightening conversation about jazz music and the jazz culture in Bangladesh.

How the Parijat Moumon Trio came to be

Guitarist Parijat Moumon has spent the past ten years performing in a variety of events throughout Europe. He has performed in a variety of settings, from solo to octet,  but what I was interested in knowing was how the trio came to be.

Parijat made connections through his bassist when he first played at Jatra Biroti a few years ago. He later performed a solo show at Jatra as well. After having performed solo and in a duo,  Parijat contemplated forming a trio. It was through those connections that Parijat Moumon, Mohaimin Karim (Double Bass) and Samiul Wahid (Drums) came together for the night as the Parijat Moumon trio.

What is the Double Bass?

One of the fascinating aspects of unearthing different genres of music is discovering musical instruments that you do not generally come across. Mohaimin Karim was on the double bass for the night and the instrument drew quite a lot of attention.

 " Well, firstly let me tell you, this is not a cello. I get asked everywhere in Bangladesh whether this is the cello or not," said Mohaimin, pointing towards the double bass, which does indeed look eerily similar to a cello.

The bass guitar that we are all familiar with actually is a simplified version of the double bass. It is the lowest-pitched member of the violin family, sounding an octave lower than the cello. Double bass was invented in around the 15-16th century but were in common use by the 18th century

A niche jazz following in Bangladesh

Contrary to popular belief, there actually has been a good number of jazz shows in Dhaka over the years; which, the musicians believe, has contributed to a slow but steady growth of jazz music in Bangladesh.

"Samiul and I, we are part of a very small jazz circle. We have been having regular jazz shows here since 2014, thanks to the club and the corporate scene. Even though the crowd in Bangladesh has not had much of an exposure to jazz, the Bangladeshi listener base is very accepting of newer and different kinds of music. Whenever we did shows, we had a good crowd and most of the shows were houseful. The people actually demand more exposure to such kinds of music," said Mohamin.

Mohaimin further stated that the average listener might have a very stereotypical impression about jazz; overlooking the fact that jazz is an umbrella of diverse styles and sub genres.

But, has there actually been a growth in acceptance of this genre amongst Bangladeshi audiences? To this, Mohaimin replied, "The thing about performing jazz here is that it's not something that you can just keep doing for a short time and not follow it up with regular shows in the future. If there is no continuity, you won't be able to navigate through it and that is why the growth has been small."

Is guitar a point of reference for Bangladeshi rock fans looking to get into jazz?

"As a matter of fact, one of the biggest reasons for the growth of jazz in Bangladeshi music fans is the guitar! You have to realise that throughout Bangladeshi music history, we have always had iconic guitar segments in most of the popular tracks. Call it intro pluckings or generic chord progressions, as a listener, that stays with you. Jazz has a lot of that to offer, so that is how the fans can easily relate to jazz through guitar," claimed Mohaimin.

The trio also acknowledged that the 2000s underground scene in the country was heavily guitar-driven and jazz guitar passages could be a gateway to jazz music for interested listeners.

Jazz Evening with Parijat Moumon Trio

After the delightful conversation, it was time for the trio to take up their instruments and dazzle the 20-odd people in the crowd that showed up for the event. Such a niche setting allowed the musicians to interact with the audience and provide a much more homely feel to the show. 

The evening's repertoire was mostly of modern jazz, with some notable inspirations from John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Wayne Shorter. The show was divided into two sets.  It was the second set where the musicians truly got into their groove.

The second set started off with Parijat doing his thing on the nylon string Ibanez. Like a guy who loves his classical guitar, sitting in a corner, playing to and for his own whim, each discernible note from his nylon strings could pierce through a thick crowd, as he performed 'Alone Together' with undivided attention.

The band followed it up by playing one of Parijat's own compositions called 'Soothing'. The song started off with a rather heavy intro, before transitioning into the main melody lines - quite ironic to the title of the song. There were some intricate hybrid and tremolo picking involved.

They ended the show with two songs based on minor blues. The final song of the night was 'Footprints', which was played as a tribute to legend Wayne Shorter, who unfortunately passed away a few days ago.